Forest Flow

26/11/2025

Cultivating Qi with Yin–Yang Palm (Kāi & Hé)

Yin–Yang Palm uses Kāi (open) and Hé (close) to expand and gather Qi. In Mandarin, these tones carry a natural vibrational quality.

How to practise:
• Breathe in as the hands open (Kāi).
• Breathe out as the hands close (Hé).
• Move slowly, letting the vibration of the tones guide the Qi
• Finish with the hands resting over the Lower Dantian, relaxing the mind there and letting the Qi nourish inward.

In many Qi Gong and Tai Chi lineages, the principle of Kāi (开) and Hé (合) underpins how Qi flows and how we influence the Qi field.

20/11/2025

SHAKING • ROCKING • BOUNCING

HOW TO PRACTICE

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Gently bounce on the balls of the feet to stimulate Kidney 1 (Yongquan).
Let the whole body shake while you fully relax.
If your calves get tired, alternate feet or bounce lightly side-to-side.
Choose a breathing style below.

BREATHING OPTIONS

1. Natural breath
Let the breath settle into its own rhythm. Soft and easy.
2. Sighing exhale
Inhale gently and exhale with a soft “haaah.”
Sighing naturally reduces stress hormones, resets the diaphragm and increases vagal tone.
3. Two or three breaths in / two or three breaths out
Take two or three small sips of air in.
Exhale in two or three light waves.
This instantly calms the nervous system.

BENEFITS

Strengthens the Kidney Qi therefore all the yin and yang systems in the body. #

Regulates the emotions

Shaking hydrates and stretches the fascia in combination with breathing and sighing allows emotional tension to move out instead of staying stored.

Sighing is a natural reset
Research shows sighing lowers heart rate, calms the mind and clears accumulated pressure from the chest.

Activates the lymphatic system
Whole-body shaking boosts lymph movement, boosting our immunity.

Optimises Qi and Blood Flow

One to two minutes can completely shift my state…

Let me know how you go?

11/07/2025

There’s a first for everything — yesterday, I had the chance to do Chinese Medicine with seniors on a houseboat. Gently floating in the calm of the late afternoon. ⚓

I couldn’t help but reflect on the Five Element Phases — the sacred cycle of life we all move through. 🌊 Water, the spark of birth. 🌿 Wood, the time of growth and becoming. 🔥 Fire, the joy and passion of adulthood. 🌍 Earth, the grounded strength of elderhood. 🗡️And Metal — the wisdom of letting go, the graceful beauty of life nearing its end.

In this moment, surrounded by water and wisdom, I was reminded: Our time is precious and healing is not just about the body — it’s about honoring the whole journey. ✨

03/07/2025

Cold winds are here! ❄️ A perfect time to support your Wei Qi (immune system) with Chinese Medicine—acupuncture or herbs. Available in Dunbible, just 2 mins from the Tweed Art Gallery.

More info on my website or shoot me a quick DM 🌿
https://www.forestflow.com.au/

06/05/2025

🌸Celebrate Mother’s Day🌸

Offer someone you love a 1-hour massage and Chinese medicine-based wellness session with Luke Rose at the Garden of Eden Café.

Available Monday, Tuesday & Thursday
10am – 2pm

Booking link. Thanks!

https://forest-flow.au4.cliniko.com/bookings

01/05/2025

🧡 Nourish Your Earth Element with Pumpkin Soup 🧡

In Chinese medicine, pumpkin and sweet potato are grounding foods that strengthen the Earth element, nourishing the Spleen and Stomach, which are responsible for the transformation and transportation of Qi, Blood, and Body Fluids — a vital process for maintaining health, energy, and balance throughout the body.

✨ By adding bone broth, we also support Kidney Yang, which provides the foundational warmth and power needed to fuel Spleen Yang in its digestive and metabolic functions. Together, these organs form a powerful energetic system that supports vitality and resilience.

🌿 Golden Spiced Pumpkin Soup Recipe
🥕 Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil or ghee

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 k**b ginger, grated

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

Pinch of asafetida (hing)

500g pumpkin, cubed

2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can coconut milk

2 cups bone broth (or veggie stock)

Salt & pepper to taste

Optional: Chinese herbs like dang shen or huang qi

👨‍🍳 Method:
1️⃣ Sauté onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala & asafetida in oil until fragrant.
2️⃣ Add pumpkin & sweet potato and stir for a few minutes.
3️⃣ Add tomatoes, broth & coconut milk. Simmer 25–30 mins until soft.
4️⃣ Blend until silky smooth. Season to taste.

🥖 Serve with warm garlic sourdough, take a deep breath, and feel yourself grounded, nourished, and supported from your center.

✨ What’s your twist on pumpkin soup? Share it below! 👇

29/04/2025

28/04/2025

🌿✨ We all know that practices like Qi Gong, yoga, and meditation can boost our energy and connect us to the vitality of the universe. And hey, we all enjoy the lift off a coffee or green juice to keep us going too. ☕🍃

But there’s so much more to us than just avoiding that 3-5pm crash. Why did we incarnate on this planet? Why did our souls choose our families, and our children choose us? Why are some people more sensitive, passionate, and compassionate? Are these traits we can grow? 🌎💫

And what role does our Qi — our vital energy — and our meridians play in how we experience the world?

Sometimes, we just don’t feel ourselves. We need a waterfall to wake us up (haha) 🌊 — or a deep belly laugh with a good friend at the beach to remember what being alive feels like. 🏖️

Through practising Qi Gong, I’ve realised it’s not just about boosting your battery pack. It's about developing a deeper sensitivity — a way of feeling the world with your whole body, not just seeing it through your eyes.

It’s about experiencing the interconnectedness of life. Feeling the AHA moments, the quiet contentment in nature, the resonance of a sacred place — beyond words, beyond labels. 🌱

When I first started, I just wanted more stable energy... but the real magic? It's how life began revealing itself to me. I didn’t want to be a rock standing still — I wanted life to flow through me, to change me, to move me. 🔥

And honestly, I’m still not sure what the meaning of life is (are you? 😄) — but I know we're here to experience it fully. To evolve. To look back one day and see how much we've grown. 🌿

In Chinese Medicine, when Qi and blood stagnate, we don’t feel like ourselves. When they flow freely, we feel open, alive, ready to embrace life. ✨

Qi practices aren't just about more energy — they awaken our sensitivity, our awareness, our spirit. Qi is a universal language that speaks straight to the soul. 🕊️

"The seed of Qi is the seed of transformation — opening us to perceive more, feel more deeply, grow with wisdom, and spiritually evolve through deeper awareness and connection." 🌟

23/04/2025

🌊 Lower Dantian Breathing: Cultivating the Sea of Qi 🔥

This Taoist breath practice harmonises your energy, nourishes the kidneys, and centres the spirit.

What’s the Lower Dantian?
Located between the navel, perineum, and L2 vertebra (Ming Men), it’s your body's core energy centre—known as the Sea of Qi. It nourishes the kidneys, circulates water through the Ren & Du channels, and fans the Ming Men fire, supporting vitality and life force. Within the Lower Dantian, you can meditate on a point located slightly below and inside from the navel area.

🌍 Breath Practice:

Inhale through the nose for 3 seconds

Exhale through the nose for 3 seconds

Build up to 6 seconds in / 6 seconds out

Rest hands in lap—centre of palm over centre of palm

Aim for 10 breaths per minute

👐 To Finish:
Rub your lower abdomen (between navel & p***c bone) 9x clockwise (small to large) then 9x counterclockwise (large to small) to seal and settle the Qi.

In my Chinese Medicine sessions, I like to recommend Qi Gong practices. One-to-one Qi Gong coaching is also available.

It’s free, easy, efficient, and helps you master your own energy.

14/04/2025

✨ 3 Longevity Health Tips ✨

No.1 – Tap along the Gall Bladder channel, from GB30 to GB33, 50x bilaterally.
No.2 – Relax the Pericardium channel to unbind the chest and support emotional clarity.
No.3 – Sleep before 11PM, aligning with the Gall Bladder & Liver time in the body clock.

Why it matters 👇
Emotions are one of the greatest thieves of qi. A poor emotional state depletes our energy faster than almost anything else. The Heart is the emperor of the organs, and emotions filter through the Shen (spirit). Activating the Pericardium helps the Heart to relax, opens the chest, and improves blood flow—where the Shen resides.

The Gall Bladder governs decision-making. When it's balanced, we feel empowered and in flow. This supports the Liver, which spreads qi and harmonizes the body’s functions. When Liver qi stagnates, so do our emotions.

And don't skip that good night’s sleep 😴
The Liver detoxes and restores itself at night. Poor sleep can leave you feeling irritable, while deep rest helps cultivate kindness, the Liver's higher polarity to anger.

We all want to live longer, happier lives—try these practices and feel the difference 🌿

07/04/2025

Sometimes all it takes is a visit to the beach, a waterfall, a sunrise or sunset — and suddenly, we feel whole again.

These sacred places remind us of what we often forget: we are energy beings. We are qi in motion.

In Chinese medicine, qi is the life force that animates us. When it flows freely, we feel vibrant. When it’s stuck or depleted, imbalance follows. The Yin and Yang teach us that nothing is static. What is full becomes empty, and what is empty becomes full — a dynamic balance that mirrors the rhythms of nature and the cycles within and without.

Most of the time, a balanced lifestyle is enough to keep our qi in harmony. But life happens. We overdo, overthink, overextend. And sometimes, we need a little extra support — herbs, acupuncture, retreats, stillness — to return to ourselves.

Our qi speaks to us through our skin, our eyes, our emotions and more — and when aligned, it resonates deep into our spirit. Nature’s majesty reflects this truth back to us: we are not stagnant pools, but flowing rivers of energy. 🌊🌿🌅✨

31/03/2025

"A healthy spine is strong and flexible like bamboo, moving gracefully, resiliently, and always playful at heart." 🌿✨

Did you know that C6, C7 (neck) and L4, L5 (lower back) are the most injury-prone spinal segments? These areas bear the most stress from posture, lifting, and daily movement.

After 40, we lose 0.5% to 1% of bone density per year—and for women, this loss accelerates for 5–10 years after menopause, increasing the risk of fractures and spinal issues.

🔹 Prevention is key! 🔹

✅ Resistance Training = Longevity 💪
🏋️ Studies show that resistance training reduces the risk of early mortality by improving muscle mass and bone density.

✅ Lengthen Your Spine to Prevent Disc Compression 🧘
Spinal compression increases with age, leading to pain and stiffness. Stretching & elongating the spine helps maintain disc space and mobility.
✔ Twisting
✔ Cat-Cow – Mobilizes the spine
✔ Child’s pose – Relieves lower back tension
✔ Forward Bend – Stretches hamstrings & decompresses the spine

☯️ Chinese Medicine for a Resilient Spine
🌿 Optimizing Qi flow through the Governing (Du Mai) & Conception (Ren Mai) Vessels nourishes the spine and supports spinal health. Acupuncture, Qigong, and herbal medicine can enhance this flow.
💧 Strengthen the Kidneys – TCM links Kidney energy to bone health; Qigong & standing meditation (Zhan Zhuang) are great practices.
🥣 Bone-nourishing foods – black sesame, walnuts, bone broth

📍 Book a Chinese Medicine session to optimize Qi & Blood flow, prevent injuries, and support your spine naturally! DM to book! 👐